Illinois Loses Its Magic Touch

Minnesota Trips Illini From Unbeaten Ranks

January 27, 1989|By Linda Young, Chicago Tribune.

MINNEAPOLIS — Illinois brought the hat along on the road trip, but the Fighting Illini forgot the rabbit.

Minnesota`s 69-62 victory Thursday in front of a cheering throng of 13,766 in Williams Arena put an end to the Illini`s 17-game winning streak, it more than likely pushed Illinois out of the nation`s No. 1 ranking and, most importantly, it dumped the Illini (17-1, 4-1) a game behind Indiana in the Big 10 loss column.

Just like they did Sunday against Georgia Tech, the Illini played an awful first half. They shot just 41 percent from the floor, they made just 4 of 9 free-throw attempts and they committed 13 turnovers.

Then came the familiar second-half magic trick, but when the Illini, who used a 10-0 run late in the game to climb to within 61-59, reached into the hat this night, no rabbit popped out. The only message to appear was that the last of the Division I unbeatens was about to fall.

A goaltending call whistled on Illinois` Marcus Liberty gave the Gophers` Willie Burton a basket that put the Gophers (11-5, 3-3) up by four. On the other end, Nick Anderson`s three-point shot rimmed out and, seconds later, Minnesota`s Kevin Lynch dropped in two free throws to seal the Illini`s fate. ``They just flat outplayed us,`` said Illinois coach Lou Henson, who hadn`t lost to the Gophers in the last seven meetings. ``We`re hoping that when we go against Indiana Saturday, we get some offense run.

``We just can`t get behind each ballgame at halftime and then come back and win. It just seems to me the last few games we had to get in trouble before we would run (the offense).``

The Illini came out lost offensively in the first 20 minutes. This is a team that averages 95 points a game. Six times, it has scored more than 100 points.

In the first 20 minutes Thursday, the Illini had 24 points.

They went 6 1/2 minutes between points during one stretch in which the Gophers went on a 13-0 run and built a 25-11 bulge that the Illini would never erase.

``We always feel like we`re never out of a game, but we should start feeling like, `Hey, if we don`t start playing, we`re going to be out of this game,` `` said guard Stephen Bardo, who uncharacteristically was twice stripped of the ball by the Gophers` Melvin Newbern (16 points) for easy baskets.

``We might be getting a little lax and not taking care of business,``

Bardo added. ``Hopefully, with the loss, we can wake up a little bit and get back on the right track.``

Sure, the Illini missed injured guard Kendall Gill and his three-point shooting touch. They couldn`t hit from outside and couldn`t move the ball inside in the first half.

But Gill probably couldn`t have saved them this night. Little-used P.J. Bowman came off the bench and drilled three three-pointers to ease that pain. ``You know you`re not doing much when Ervin Small, who doesn`t usually play much, and Bowman are two of your better players on the floor,`` Henson said.